On April 1 in Chicago, the Autonomous Tenants Union (ATU), in conjunction with the Democratic Socialists of America, the Lift the Ban Coalition and others, livestreamed a Chicago Rent Freeze Virtual Town Hall to hear from tenants who had suddenly lost jobs and the ability to pay rent because of the pandemic. Below are a few voices from tenant testimony. The ATU called for a rent freeze for all of Chicago and Illinois, and immediately housing the homeless. (Hear the entire livestream on the ATU’s Facebook page.)
“Please freeze rent in Illinois. I am a server and because of coronavirus my restaurant has been shut down. I have no income coming in and will not be able to pay rent until I am able to go back to work.” – Heather
““[Undocumented immigrants] are not eligible for many of the resources sent to them [and] they’re struggling to meet their basic needs for the children, which is food among other things [and rent.] I think as a sanctuary city . . . [relief benefits] should also apply to immigrant families. These people contribute to the economy, but yet . . . people with no citizenship, they’re being left behind . . . It’s really important that there’s no distinction between us or them because we’re all struggling on the same page.” – Vanessa
“[My boyfriend and I both lost our jobs.] It’s April 1, and I have $400 in my account, and $1,600 is supposed to go to the landlord. The social safety net is not coming through for us. What we really need to do is get our government officials who are supposed to be taking care of us to get on board and to figure out that this is affecting people now.” – Autumn
“Please! I have my own rent and my mother’s rent to cover. Please freeze rents.” – Frida
